The present invention relates to a new and distinct hosta plant, Hosta ‘School Mouse’ hereinafter also referred to as the new plant or just the cultivar name, ‘School Mouse’. Hosta ‘School Mouse’ was discovered by the inventor as a non-induced, naturally-occurring, whole-plant mutation in a batch of tissue cultured Hosta ‘Church Mouse’ (not patented) at a nursery greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich., USA during the summer of 2012. The new plant has been asexually propagated by division at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. USA since 2014 and also by careful shoot tip plant tissue culture with the resultant asexually propagated plants having retained all the same traits as the original plant. ‘School Mouse’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Hosta ‘School Mouse’ has not been made publically available or sold anywhere in the world prior to the filing of this application except for disclosures by the inventor, or one who obtained the material either directly or indirectly from the inventor, and any such disclosure has not been made more than one year prior to the application of this invention.
There are over 5,600 registered hostas with The American Hosta Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Hosta. Hosta ‘School Mouse’ is a sport from ‘Church Mouse’ (not patented) which is one of many sports with similar habit all from Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ (not patented). The most similar hosta cultivars known to the applicant are Hosta ‘Church Mouse’ and ‘Mini Skirt’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,743. ‘Church Mouse’ has a similar leaf undulation but differs in that the new plant has a margin with a lighter yellow coloring rather than the margin of ‘Church Mouse’ with a margin that differs only slightly from the blue-green center with green leaf margin. Hosta ‘Mini Skirt’ has a creamy yellow to creamy white margin, but has less pronounced leaf undulations. Another cultivar, ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ (not patented), has similar sport history, both originally arising from ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ has a similar coarse wave to the leaves but is not variegated. Hosta ‘Mighty Mouse’ (not patented) is a sport of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ with foliage having a creamy yellow to creamy white margin and green center but also has a flatter leaf.
Other Hosta cultivars have short habit and variegation of a similar nature, or other individual traits similar to ‘School Mouse’ but the new plant differs from the above cultivars and all other hostas known to the applicant, by the combination of the following traits.                1. Cordate, coarsely sinuate leaves.        2. Leaves with creamy yellow margins and dark green center and feathering intermediate colors.        3. Stiff scapes and leaves with thick substance.        4. Short, compact, rounded habit with dense flowering just above foliage.        5. Flowers of medium lavender and inside strongly veined with deep lavender and white.        